Journey of the Magi

A cold coming we had of it, just the worst time of the year for a journey, and such a long journey:The snow was deep and the weather sharp, the very dead of winter. And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory, lying down in the melting snow.There were times we regretted the summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, and the silken girls bringing sherbet. Then the camel men cursing and grumbling and running away, and wanting their liquor and women. And the night-fires gong out, and the lack of shelters, and the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly. And the villages dirty, and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. At the end we preferred to travel all night, sleeping in snatches, with the voices singing in our ears, saying that this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley, wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation; with a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness, and three trees on the low sky, and an old white horse galloped away in the meadow. Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver, and feet kicking the empty wine-skins. But there was no information, and so we continued, and arrived at evening, not a moment too soon, finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember. And I would do it again, but set down this: Were we lead all that way forBirth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly. We had evidence and no doubt. I have seen birth and death, but had thought they were different; this Birth was hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, but no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, with an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death.--T.S. Eliot

30 November 06

Dear Susie,
Thank you so much for the guiding star, and for sharing your crib in Bethlehem.
I love you. Wray

Two Maniacs

27 November 06

Dear Susie, This may be the highest compliment I have ever paid you: Even shopping is fun with you. Really. And believe me I have never said that to anyone. I love you. XOW

"Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."

"Am I still a galaxy? A star? A candle?

Thanksgiving weekend, 2006
Dearest Susie, I have so many wondrous images swirling in my head from this long weekend with you. These are just two of them. This is the first time in a long time that I have really felt the meaning of Thanksgiving in my heart.
I love you. Wray

Please may I . . .
. . . move to Maple Street and be your houseboy? your acolyte? your aide d' camp? your concubine? your apostle? your deputy? your locker room attendant? your adjutant? your apprentice? your copyist? your bitch? your devotee? your disciple? your batboy? your sous chef? your flunkie? your squire? your Sancho Panza?

Minestrone con pesto

I love offering you sustenance. Here is just one way:

Sautee two large onions (or several leeks) and several gloves of garlic, sliced, in good olive oil. Add two bay laurel leaves and a bunch of parsley, chopped coarsely. Add about six cups of vegetable stock and a large can of chopped Italian tomatoes. Add an assortment of vegetables: zucchini, green beans, carrots, celery, peas (or kidney beans or corn or navy beans). I add diced potatoes, but you could also add some macaroni or orzo rice at the last minute. Separately make the pesto, which is several tablespoons of dried basil, olive oil, and a can of tomato paste. Simmer the soup for about half an hour and serve. The pesto can be put on the table, or stirred into the soup at the last moment. Serve with good parmesan cheese.

Finally, put on some loose-fitting clothes (optional) and take your cook to bed. Enjoy.

Going in the Wrong Direction

Dear Susie,

I have been thinking of you every leg of your trip home: Tenleytown, Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, Burtonsville, Laurel, Columbia, Baltimore, Catonsville, Pikesville, Timonium, Hunt Valley, Cockeysville, Hereford, Redman Lake, York (a stop at Queen Street for coffee), Harrisburg, Hershey, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, Midway, Grimes, Frystown, Strausstown, Rehrersburg, Hamburg, Reading, Kutztown, Trexlertown, Cetronia, PA Turnpike, Route 309, Cedar Crest Boulevard, 15th Street, MacArthur Boulevard/7th Street, Fullertown, Airport Road, Route 378, Schoenersville Road, Elizabeth Avenue, Linden, Locust, Maple, 1209, up the stairs, down the hall, in the bedroom, under the covers.

Loving you full speed at every milestone. Wray

Love at the Tabard

Sunday, November 19
Dear Susie,
I loved taking you to one of my favorite places in Washington. I hope we return many times, night and day, all seasons. It was another perfect weekend with you. I look forward to sharing a lifetime with you. The Tabard Inn is a good place for pilgrims to begin a long journey. I love you. Deep, deep kiss, W

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot
change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference." November 15, 2006
Dear Susie,
I decided to post this today, on my one-year anniversary in sobriety, because sobriety is the
foundation of our future together and because AA has given both of us some tools that will help
us in every arena of our lives. I am looking forward to a long, sober and fun and fascinating trip
with you. Love W

Dearest Susie,
This is sunset at Half Moon Bay. It's not the sunset I saw on November 11, but actually a lot like it. This is just a reminder, because I believe you saw the sunset through my eyes that Saturday. I loved including you in what would otherwise have been lonesome travels. I love you. W

Sustenance
Dear Susie, I am really glad that your idea of a home-cooked mean is standing in the kitchen noshing on fruit and cheese and hummus. Though I look forward to cooking for you time to time, there are so many more important kinds of sustenance. We'll eat in another lifetime. Love, W

Scheirers Road A small cottage on a corner property near a horse stable. It was very hot in July, so you wore a black sun dress and pink toe polish. Take my hand. Love W